Order Concerning the Establishment of the Jewish Council
for Amsterdam

(February 12, 1941)

After several months of escalating tension between
the Dutch population
and the German occupation authorities and the collaborators in the Dutch
Nazi and Fascist movements (in the winter of 1940-1941), clashes erupted
in Amsterdam between members of the WA, the militia of the Dutch National-Socialist
Movement (NSB), and Jews. In the aftermath of these clashes (February
8-11, 1941), an order was issued to establish a Joodsche Raad (Jewish
Council) in Amsterdam. The following document is the surviving German
version of a meeting between the German governor of Amsterdam and Jewish
leaders whom the authorities had summoned. The document shows that the
method used in establishing the council in Amsterdam resembled that
employed in Poland in 1939-1940: an oral instruction by the local German
commander in the presence of a representative of the security police,
making contact with Jewish community leaders and rabbis, a Judenrat
with local powers only, and the duty to maintain public order. The Amsterdam
council was the first panel that followed this pattern in Western Europe,
and throughout its existence it was different in nature from the imposed
agencies established in Belgium and France in late 1941.

Note:

Negotiation at 16.30, on 12 February 1941, at the office

Present: The representative of the Reichskommissar
for the city of Amsterdam, Senator Dr. Boehmcker

Detective superintendent SS-Sturmhauptfuehrer Dietjes,
standing in for the absent Head of the BdS Branch [Befehlshaber der
Sicherheitspolizei] [Commander of the Security Police]

Chairman of the Community Council [Kerkeraad] of the
same religious community, A. Ascher, merchant

Rabbi of the Portuguese-Jewish Community [Portugeesch-Israelitische
Gemeente], M. M. Frances

Senator Dr. Boehmcker explained the following:

[...]

For the restoration and preservation of order, the
so-called old Jewish quarter was closed off entirely at 6 o'clock in
the morning, on 12 February 1941. Alleviation of in- and outgoing traffic
will only be made when law and order [Ruhe] in the Jewish quarter are
restored. In future, Party members in uniform [Parteiuniformierte] may
not enter the Jewish quarter. All non-Jewish inhabitants will be resettled
outside the Jewish quarter as soon as possible.

In order that there may be a responsible representation
for all Jews of Amsterdam, a Jewish Council [Judenrat] will have to
be formed. The Jews present were asked to form a Jewish Council.

Merchant Ascher explained, after consultation with
the two rabbis, that he, together with Prof. Cohen, would assume chairmanship
of the Jewish Council and would nominate its members together with the
two rabbis.

Senator Dr. Boehmcker explained to Merchant Ascher:

The Jewish Council, and especially the two chairmen,
are responsible for the immediate restoration of law and order in the
Jewish quarter and the prevention of riots.

Therefore, secondly, it is necessary that the chairmen
of the Jewish Council immediately call upon [the inhabitants, D.S.]
to hand over any clubs, thrust weapons, and firearms to the Dutch police
stations in the Jewish quarter. It should be considered a great concession
that this way of handing over the weapons was chosen instead of a police
search of the Jewish quarter and punishment of those who illegally owned
weapons. It is expected that the weapons be handed over immediately
and completely.

The Jewish Council should immediately issue special
identity cards [Ausweis] to all those Jews who in future would want
to enter the Jewish quarter. Concerning the content and form of the
identity cards, further instructions would be given later. After the
issuing of identity cards, the Jewish quarter would only be accessible
to owners of identity cards. [...]1